More and more electronic devices such as mobile phones, MP3 players, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and internet tablets are becoming smaller and smaller while having more and more information stored on and/or accessible through them. Users are relying on such devices and becoming all the more dependant on them and thus they should be designed to be small and easy to carry around. This requirement often conflicts with the requirement of having a large screen for providing a user with a good overview of the applications currently running on such a device. The trade-off of having a large screen and making the device small is a longstanding problem that designers are posed with when designing a new device.
Also, a larger display or screen is more prone to outer physical influences, simply because of its larger size and is thus more prone to being damaged like being scratched. To protect a display it has been known to arrange the display in a clam shell like apparatus where the device is folded together so that the display is protected. However, this separates the display from the main control means due to the hinge and other physical arrangement needed to provide the folding functionality.
A device that allows a large and easy to overview display while being small and easy to carry around and preferably protecting the display would be useful in modern day society.